Raleigh

charles duhigg has made the ivy league rounds
yale B.A. / harvard M.B.A. / now New York Times
i suspect he is a very, very bright young man

most of his observations however seem a little hollow
they consistently betray the aroma of a business school bias
"...hey ! once you figure this out you can make more $..."

he is plowing the same field as other more talented writers
what those other authors have might be called depth or soul
mr. duhigg's intellect is dazzling but changing a habit takes more than that

he would do well to re-read bill wilson the founder of AA
if anyone ever understood the good and bad power of habits it was him
wilson would argue that we are fundamentally paradoxical beings

"... how privileged we are to understand so well the divine paradox...
that strength rises from weakness; that humiliation goes before resurrection;
that pain is not only the price but the very touchstone of spiritual rebirth..."

changing a habit is not some intellectual MBA formula
the latest functional MRI scan will never answer the entire question
it all begins when we accept the basic, painful, broken of ourselves

is our water supply really endangered or scarce ?
should municipalities make water expensive or cost-free ?
is there any part of modern life not influenced by water ?

charles fishman provides an very entertaining answer to these questions
the text shows he has studied these issues across history and culture
but the lively and personal narrative style make it an easy read

my favorite parts of the book deal with human stupidity and ingenuity
the variety of responses to local water issues is simply astounding
at times greed and fear seem as influential as rainfall and water treatment

the bottom line seems to be that water is not really scarce
but it will become a valuable commodity within the next generation
as our grandparents would tell us, we must not take it for granted

? what'd you do with outrageous talent as a black 20 year old in 1926
? how'd you respond to scouts who'd say "...boy, if only you were white..."
? what'd you say if you had to wait until you were 42 to get your chance

born in 1906, leroy robert "satchel" paige faced all these questions and more
blessed with a perfect right arm and cursed with a " jim crow " childhood
he ranked easily among the 20 best baseball players of all time

his life had every sad and varied element of 20th century african-american life
it's no surprise it is so relentlessly hard, paradoxical and counterintuitive
he seemed forever balanced between cold blooded competitor and playful clown

all the showmanship and exaggeration kept the writers and fans amused
and it kept the light focused on satchel and the world at a reliable arms length
the introverted performer treasured the mound as his personal safe stage

so many aspects of his professional behavior pre-date free agency
he never apologized for offering his fantastic talents to the highest bidder
his matter-of-fact mercenary approach would fit in perfectly with today's game

the book helped me see beyond the playful quotes and clowning to the man inside
he sadly burned for the opportunity to just show the world what he could do
he felt sorry, not for himself but for those that never got to see him play

is life defined solely by our achievements and victories ?
can depression and our darkest sorrows and griefs simply be "outrun" ?
where do you go after enduring a grand public humiliation ?

teddy roosevelt had to answer all these hard questions in 1912
his 3rd party "bull moose" attempt to regain the presidency had failed
the intense scorn of his former republican colleagues fell heavily on him

t. roosevelt had made trophies of previous expeditions and campaigns
1) the spanish american war 2) the american west 3) an african safari
when a 1913 - 1914 amazon opportunity presented itself he grabbed for it

roosevelt's reputation insured him support and a warm welcome in brasil
but his trip showed remarkably poor timing, equipment, provision and planning
the dense tropical jungle proved to be a challenge almost beyond his ability

the deep reaches of the amazon rainforest were unexpectedly a pathetic lie
their lush and dense appearance belied a empty and violent nature
the lethal local "cinta larga" indians silently watched every step of his journey

as expected, t. roosevelt was not the most interesting man in this story
his son kermit showed a resolve and physical courage far beyond his father
and the brave brasilian colonel candido rondon outperformed even kermit

the health and 55 pounds roosevelt lost during the trip were never fully regained
by 1917 he was re-hospitalized with fever and abscess from the trip
he then died in 1919 of heart disease at his home on oyster bay, new york

c. millard took a well deserved break from NAT GEO to write this book
i learned more about t. roosevelt in her great book than any other i've read
he was at his physical and moral limit and thus seemed more real and human

? just what exactly do we know about how the brain works
? if we did know more, could we then understand ourselves better
? who'd be bright enough to both understand and explain all this

v.s. ramachandran is more than up to this monumental task
the explosion of new detailed brain studies provides his raw material
his near mythic status in the medical community provides his authority

years ago using only a mirror and a q-tip he unraveled "phantom pain"
this sad, untreatable condition had been recognized for centuries
it took someone of ramachandran's blazing insight to solve its' riddle

he clearly sees himself as flying at an altitude that others only dream of
a lack of confidence doesn't seem to be a problem he has ever had
but it takes that sort of hubris to tackle an issue this vast and significant

the anatomical nomenclature will probably over whelm some readers
the rapid pace of new discoveries means he'll need a new edition in a few years
this is a very exciting time in history to be an investigational neuroscientist

the most exciting sections of the book dealt with neuro-plasticity
? can nerves and nerve signals be repaired or rerouted
? can we contemplate therapy for diseases we once thought were untreatable

recent advances in neuro-imaging and function studies rival the discovery of DNA
we now have a window into that most human and complex of all organs
this book is a compelling first step in understanding this bold, new world

? do you have young children at home
? do you wonder what their adult world will be like
? do you fret about whether they will be prepared for it

paul tough wondered for years about all these questions
it came to a head for him when he and his wife had a newborn son
he wanted to redefine the new path to success at school and at work

this book dances over all the best new theories of education
the author interviews an endless series of bright young educators
they have an energy and earnestness that is almost inspiring

all this material has been covered elsewhere by better authors
the subject matter cries out for a wiser more experienced voice
insight about raising children is best delivered with a weary patience

if this subject really interests you look up geoffrey canada
his life and work will lead you to other substantial sources
unlike mr. tough, mr. canada understands more than he knows

? how do you find hope and humor in the midst of despair
? how can you remain optimistic in the face of tragedy and grief
michael chabon has written a flowing, literary and magical answer

in the mid-50's senator estes kefauver attacked comic books
his claims of their unamerican nature couldn't have been more wrong
they were paradoxically the most american of all literary forms

they encapsulated all the 20th century american contradictions
old world VERSUS new world
sexual repression VERSUS gender liberation
escape VERSUS settling down
nebbish immigrants VERSUS homegrown super heroes
rural midwestern virtues VERSUS complex urban skills
jews VERSUS gentiles
nation with immigrants VERSUS nation of immigrants

this wonderful tale is wrapped in erudite and elegant prose
more than once i paused the recording to look up a word in the dictionary
but chabon has a relentless affection for human nature and weakness

the story is told with a beautiful affection and insight
the characters are simultaneously so human and so noble
it takes ordinary difficult lives and makes them amazing adventures

? is our world just full of anxious depressed people
? are there some among us who avoid these pitfalls
? what would it be like to be hard wired against those problems

dr. kevin dutton has written a snappy book to look into that
in chapter after chapter he jets off to speak with "world experts"
he's on a very public mission to redefine the term psychopath

as you might expect he sees it as "a spectrum disorder"
( i suspect he's borrowing a tool from the autism/asperger's people )
he then demonstrates possible positive aspects of the condition

the most interesting of the "experts" are the ones that disagree with him
robert hare and steven pinker may be more insightful than the author
they seem to have a thoughtful wisdom that dr. dutton has yet to acquire

in one chapter they talk about the character of men that abuse women
they are carefully divided into cobras (psychopath) and pit bulls (anti-social)
it is a very insightful and perceptive way to look at the problem

psychopaths,as defined by dr. dutton, have been with us forever
education and IQ and family support separate the murderers from the CEOs
if you work with successful driven people you've met them many times

dr. dutton now has several videos all over you tube these days
his haircut and verbal cadence betray a subtle psychopathic style
? well could it be that it takes one to know one / perhaps

i've never been a hip-hop happening kind of a guy
pencil-neck white-bread suburban kid is closer to the truth
but james brown has fascinated me since i was a child

his penetrating funky hot-blooded music was like no other
but i sensed that there was more to the story than that
r.j. smith's story and kevin free's narration brought it to life

his horrible childhood invites pity / that he overcame it invites love
the way he treated women and co-workers makes him seem despicable
but at the end of this great book i felt i understood him as a person

what makes the story profound is its' uniquely american foundation
james brown never apologized for who he was or where he was from
he just wanted respect and a spot at the table / he more than earned it

i'm a USA urologist and i do work in east africa
my physician host repairs vesico-vaginal fistulas
the book was recommended by a fellow doctor

verghese is a more than gifted expositor of medicine
he makes it all seem lyrical and noble and magical
it reminds me of why i went to medical school

the books characters have an air of real majesty about them
it makes all the plot's coincidences and twists seem intuitive
it's all so winsome that you're inclined to suspend your doubts

i can't think of any character in the story i didn't care about
the book's male relationships are especially well worked out
the movie is apparently in the works / i can't wait to see it

i don't usually like female narrators
they seem to lack vocal range and depth
kathe mazur is a real exception / she did a great job

we've known about introverts and extroverts for centuries
so some readers may ask, " is this book really necessary ? "
yes it is and our light, multi-faceted modern life makes it that way

america in the last 100 years has been steadily less kind to introverts
quiet, deliberate, meaning focused lives are no longer celebrated
social media and advertising and education only amplify the problem

so what's to be done ? how do we rectify the dilemma ?
susan cain's entertaining book begins to answer the problem
her academic and legal accomplishments help her define the issue

she quotes a multitude of modern psychologists to support her view
to listen to these educated americans you'd think they discovered the issue
i think we'd do well to listen instead to her chinese, british and biblical sources

this is an ancient and very basic issue of human nature
the success and pace of " the american century " ignored it
cultures that have endured adversity and reversals have much to teach us

the age of the exuberant american extrovert is coming to an end
our future will be more difficult and adversarial and counter intuitive
we'll need the insights and skills that only introverts bring to the table